Past and Contemporary Advertising
From a broader perspective, advertising can be perceived as a non-remunerated method of raising awareness. The main objective of awareness is to exert influence on a specific group. Hence, advertising can take different forms, possessing the principal aim of persuading a target customer group (Chandrasekar, 2010). Since decades ago, advertising has been substantially used in business to introduce their products into the market. In order to fulfil the purpose, different techniques and parameters have been employed. However, these methods have been constantly transforming owing to the fact that the market demands are highly dynamic. The everlasting alternations of customers’ and purchasers’ tastes and preferences, have resulted in a paradigm shift, namely in the methods of advertising. These modifications have been incorporated with the object of retaining relevance and satisfying customers’ demands in the cut%u2011throat world of business. Thus, the aim of the paper is to investigate and draw a parallel between the past and modern performance of the print advertising used by Coca-Cola Company, its target population and the impact on social, cultural and ethical issues.
As the world becomes modernized with each day, people all round the globe continue to enjoy improved quality of life. Companies on the other hand have metamorphosed to meet the customers’ demand with regards to their appetites. Owing to purchasers’ longing for pre-eminent goods and services, companies began to diversify their portfolios (Dahlen, 2008). Before 1970’s, the advertisements were strongly geared to the general population. However, in the past few decades, this trend has significantly changed. For example, Coca-Cola has greatly varied its drinks to appropriately address the needs of a specific group. Coca-Cola Company has a wide variety of sundry brands; it means that each brand has a heterogeneous target consumer group. For instance, it produces a diet Coke which is eminently suitable for elderly or aged people, whereas a Powerade sports drink is apt for people who keep fit and lead a healthy and sporty life. The other example is Winnie the Poh sipper cap Juice Drink that gears to a fairly young generation, namely kids aged between 8-14 years. Thus, miscellaneous potential buyers became an inducement to perform great changes in the advertising strategies adopted over the years from the general perspective of the early 1970’s to a more dynamic in the recent years.
Being a soft drink manufacturer, Coca-Cola Company was established in 1886 in the United States. The company has protracted experience in the marketing and advertising. Within the years, the company expanded and became universally popular with over 230 varieties of brands in around 200 countries. Its advertising strategies have been changing over the time to suit and appeal to the present market of the day (Hill, 2007). The transformation of the company has made it more sustainable and competent to penetrate and survive in other markets, where other competing brands have miserably failed. This success is attributable to the double jeopardy entailed by the consumer insight article. Therefore, the company has been able to successfully reach its target consumers through various marketing mix plans.
For example, the company has resorted to use product differentiation marketing strategy to appeal to the various market segments. Monochromatic print advertisement was a powerful tool in creating imaginations by potential customers in the stock exchange.
Over the past couple of years, print advertisement has been changing with notable differences as compared with the postmodern one.
With the advent of technology, print advertising has been able to capture the target audience vividly as the picture advertisements can now reveal a lot. The reason is that modern%u2011day technology permits to employ more prevalent and realistic features in picture advertisements. Firstly, they have diverse color shades as opposed to the earlier ones that only had one shade. Secondly, images are sharper and contrast as opposed to those before 1970’s. Lastly, it is easier to connect with the modern-day print advertisements than those used in the past (Chandrasekhar, 2010). The company has shifted from impression to expression. This remains a principal means of measurement since the metrics are used universally to survey responsiveness to the market demands by the respective company. Modern print adverts have liquid work which implies that the commercials are more compelling, original and culturally relevant. They can provide their commerce in any communication medium to achieve the ultimate aim of reaching the intended target audience. Consequently, the content in a print advertisement has to be linked. It means that the message should be communicated in such a way that it emotionally connects with the target audience. In other words, print adverts ought to have compelling stories. Hence, print advertisement underwent dramatic changes from 1970’s to the present day.
In conclusion, it is worthwhile noting that there has been a milepost in the development of print advertisement for Coca-Cola Company over the years. For the purpose of creating a more compelling advertisement to the target audience, dissimilar aspects have to be combined. Moreover, it is extremely beneficial for companies to widen their brand variety and complement this with different marketing strategies to penetrate the market. Print media has experienced different changes and is poised to face more transformations due to dynamic customers’ tastes and preferences.
